Dead Bait Fishing for Pike

[zippyFX]

It's that time of the year for us non-ice fishers.... Time to do reading and research and "sharpen the saw" (or hook so to speak). This year I picked up some used coarse fishing books from Amazon and have been working my way thought them. They generally focus on the UK. Very interesting to see the techniques they use. I guess many of them driven from the fact their fisheries seem to be more pressured.

I have fished for Pike here and have either used lures or live bait. Dead bait seems to be popular for pike in the UK. Has anyone used it here?

I never thought Pike would eat off the bottom but I guess they do. I can see this technique being successful in the spring when the pike may be gorging on winter kill during ice out but what about the rest of the year?

If it's good enough for Pike what are the chances of getting Musky (assuming the season is open).

[OldTimer]

Hey ZippyFX,

My friends and I used to catch big pike using 8"+ dead suckers (with two hook wire rigs - J hook in head, treble in back at tail) during the spring (late may - well after ice out) in the Bustard Island's narrow channels between the many islands. It wasn't a high catch count but if you got a hit - it was always a fair size fish. Our trip record 22 pounder was caught this way. However on our one summer trip in July - this technique caught nothing.

Pike have no problem at all in scavenging their meals. I've caught more than a few smaller pike on cut bait intended for channel cats.

Muskie's seem to like a bit of action in their meals in my experience. But I cant see them turning down an easy meal........... ?

Cheers,

OldTimer

[mcfly]

I'll try using some dead minnows today and see if there are any Pike in the area! Hitting the ice in just a couple hours...

[tweedwolfscream]

The dead bait setup OldTimer describes from the Bustards has a loyal following among ice fishing types, some swear that pike will take dead bait over live in the winter. I'm going to try something like that on the ice next week, but with whatever I can find in a grocery store instead of a sucker.

I was fishing off a dock in November and a pike came in to check out a small preserved minnow I had on a single hook hanging from a wabler. It was really watching that thing but I think I moved it too much and spooked the pike.

[OldTimer]

Of interest here- from Google books:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=ttiYPWa4...ng&f=false

OT

[zippyFX]

Thanks OT! I'll give dead baiting a try next summer.

For reference here is an great fishing channel on youtube; They have epsiodes on all types of fishing; I find them very interesting and informative:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TAFishing?feature=watch


Here is a recent episode they did on Dead baiting with oiled bait:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioxfm5Dz-...khC-T54HJA

[mcfly]

(12-17-2013 02:59 PM)tweedwolfscream Wrote:  The dead bait setup OldTimer describes from the Bustards has a loyal following among ice fishing types, some swear that pike will take dead bait over live in the winter. I'm going to try something like that on the ice next week, but with whatever I can find in a grocery store instead of a sucker.

I was fishing off a dock in November and a pike came in to check out a small preserved minnow I had on a single hook hanging from a wabler. It was really watching that thing but I think I moved it too much and spooked the pike.

Be careful as some grocery type products are illegal to use as bait!!

As for yesterday, we had some nice size suckers on some tip-ups but none of them went off all day while we were slaying the perch. One decent pike came up to check out a bait but didn't strike.

[tweedwolfscream]

(12-18-2013 12:43 PM)mcfly Wrote:  Be careful as some grocery type products are illegal to use as bait!!

Where is that listed? The list of allowable baitfish species in the regs summary only applies to live fish, though there are certain non-fish critters it says cannot be imported and used as bait whether or not alive. What fish are legal to import into Ontario but illegal to use, dead, as bait (other than certain local exceptions, like no dead cisco in Algonquin or no organic bait at all in certain rivers)?

[OldTimer]

(12-18-2013 02:33 PM)tweedwolfscream Wrote:  

(12-18-2013 12:43 PM)mcfly Wrote:  Be careful as some grocery type products are illegal to use as bait!!

Where is that listed? The list of allowable baitfish species in the regs summary only applies to live fish, though there are certain non-fish critters it says cannot be imported and used as bait whether or not alive. What fish are legal to import into Ontario but illegal to use, dead, as bait (other than certain local exceptions, like no dead cisco in Algonquin or no organic bait at all in certain rivers)?

Careful - use of smelt as bait, alive or dead, is illegal in many MNR Ontario zones....check the regs...... and smelt are readily available in many of the grocery stores..... heads up!

OT

[tweedwolfscream]

(12-18-2013 04:04 PM)OldTimer Wrote:  Careful - use of smelt as bait, alive or dead, is illegal in many MNR Ontario zones....check the regs...... and smelt are readily available in many of the grocery stores..... heads up!

OT

The MNR fact sheet on smelt says, "Dead rainbow smelt may be used as bait in Ontario except in Fisheries Management Zones 2, 4 and 5". This policy is made plain in the FMZ 2, 4 and 5 sections in the regs summary, under "Other Zone _ Regulations", as "Smelt may not be used as bait or possessed for use as bait". I wish I could say I'll be fishing northwestern Ontario in the near future but the reality is more like the GTA and Grey County.

So, are there any restrictions on fish as dead bait that are not clearly stated in the regs?

(I got 10 whole frozen mackarel for like $3.50 at Food Basics yesterday, each maybe 6-8 inches long, so that'll probably be my first attempt with the pike.)